C A M P S H I L O O N T H E B A T T L E F I E L D O F L I T T S B U R G L A N D I N G. April, 20 th, 1862.

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1 88 C A M P S H I L O O N T H E B A T T L E F I E L D O F L I T T S B U R G L A N D I N G. April, 20 th, Respected Father and Mother:- I thought a few lines might be of some satisfaction at the present time. It just came into my mind that this day is Sunday. If there had not been a change in the Sunday exercise at home that some of you were writing me a letter for I believe I have received one written on Sunday nearly ever since I left home. I started our and hunted up a suttler and bought some paper, envelopes and stamps and a new red cedar pencil so you need not wonder at a slight improvement in my writing for I have been doing it for some time passed for a pencil not more than two inches long, and I expected to have gotten a letter from home today, but I did not. It has been raining for nearly two days and is still raining. It is very muddy and is nearly impossible to get our rations from the landing. We are four miles from the landing and there are from forty to sixty steamboats laying here all the time. We get plenty of forage and rations now. The greater portion of the army have moved off the battle field owing to the bad smell. They moved off in the direction of Corinth. Our pickets extend out about five miles from camp so there is no danger of the rebels surprising us as they did General Grant. He had been in camp here nearly four weeks and his outside pickets were not forty rods from his camp, so you see they slipped up a ravine and came in on double quick, and before half of the men in the outside regiments could get their guns they were surrounded. One Iowa and one Illinois regiment were all taken prisoners. and when they come onto some of the other companies they were eating their breakfast, and I saw lots of them with their plates in one hand and knife and fork in the other. They completely riddled their tents with shots. The sick were all killed and more than half of the well ones. The report is in camp that Gen. Grant is under arrest for not showing better generalship in the fight on Sunday. His men say Buel is the man for them. They say that he should not have an item of the praise for the fight at Fort Donaldson. There are some of the doctors that were taken and retaken six times during the fight. I do not supposed that there ever was better fighting done than that

2 89 2. by Terrill s men. They went into it early on Monday and stuck to it all day. He lost two men, fifteen wounded and twenty horses. The captain and his first lieutenant acted as No. 1 on one of the guns. His guns were four smooth bore, two twelve pounders and two six pounder, parret rifle. He silenced two of the best batteries the rebels had and they tried several times to charge on two of his batters and were defeated every time. At one time he saw the rebels crawling up on their hands and knees in a thicket to make a charge, so he attached a prolong to his piece and fired canister and grape. It did not leave a bush standing. It completely mowed them down to about two feet high. I do not see how a man could have escaped alive. and by the way the bodies lay on the ground I do not think many did escape. All that saw this fight say there were bodies enough on a acre lay so thick that would could walk all over it stepping from one body to another. We are all better pleased with old Terrill than we ever were. In fact we think he is about right in the fighting line. We thought the report was true that he had lost his battery and all of his men in the Bull Run fight but we learn that he was not there. Terrill says he has two brothers and his Father in the rebel army. All of the prisoners the rebels take had to go through his hands. Both of his brothers are officers. I have but little doubt Terrill killed more than one hundred to each one that he lost. Monday morning, April, 21 st. It rained all night and looks awful dreary this morning. I do not know but that you may get all particulars concerning this fight. If so you will get more than we have yet. The prisoners we took here say that one-third of the men that were in this fight enlisted for eight to twelve days and some for even as short a time as two days. These men were the ones who suffered the most, as they were not drilled and of course did not understand how to fight. We could tell all of the new recruits by what they had in their have sacks to eat. All of them had light bread and biscuits while the soldiers had crackers and meat. Some of them had the pleasure to fall on their own land. Any way their women came on the field and claimed them as their husbands. This made one think of the horros of war. There were over two hundred thousand troops here on Tuesday after the fight, and there are fifty batteries here now. We have quite a number of siege guns and howitzers of large caliber.

3 90 3. There is something going on here which the rebels call the yankee trick. Mitchel has gotten in the rear of the rebel forces and cut the telegraph wires between Corinth and old Jeff and has attached the wires to his own instruments. He got their dispatches for two days. On the first day Beauregard telegraphed to Jeff to send him forty thousand of his troops and one of his best Generals. That the Yankees were getting him in a tight place. Old Jeff telegraphed back that he needed every man he had and if it was possible for him to send him a reinforcement. Mitchel thought he would correspond a while with Jeff so he telegraphed for him to send all of his heavy siege guns down to Corinth and signed Beauregard s name to the dispatch. Old Jeff did this and sent two hundred cars loaded with guns and ammunition with seventeen locomotives. Mitchell destroyed a bridge not far from Corinth, sent men back in the other direction and after the trains had all passed burned the bridge in their rear. That is what the little old Mapmaker can do. Since that there has been a part of one division sent up the river and it is the belief of many that they are to reinforce Mitchel as he has only about thirty thousand men. We get no particular news from the army on the Potomac only that they have been fighting at Richmond. Some of the boys say that they think there is fair prospects of us laying here two months as we did at Green River. I think they expect another fight here or at Corinth, but it is only sixteen miles from our camp. I should not be surprised to get orders at any moment to cook rations and be ready to march at a certain hour. I think it impossible for this division to move for eight or ten days. We have the repot in camp that the rebels have sent commissioners to Washington to try and compromise and settle. I hear a great deal of cheering in camp this morning. I suppose it must be good news of some victory. Randolph and Marlboro boys are all well. The forest trees are leaved out xxxx here. The citizens say this is the most backward spring they ever knew. There have been thousands of men here from Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to see this battle field. I saw one from Akron, Ohio. I think this will answer for the present. From your son,

4 91 C A M P O N T H E B A T T L E F I E L D O F S H I L O. April 25 th, Respected Father:- I received your welcome letter of the 22 nd, and the reason I have not answered before this time is that I had just written a long letter home a few days before and now I have waited a while to see if there would not something happen worth writing about, and I guess there has now. Yesterday morning our men found out that the rebels had sent out a very heavy picket this way for the purpose of gathering up their property that they had to leave behind on their retreat. Our men say that there was at least a brigade of about four thousand cavalry men. They were about twelve miles on this side of Corinth. There was a large force of our men went out with the intention of chasing them but they were disappointed. They are might shie. They heard of our coming and set fire to every thing and ran. Our men got a few prisoners and some property and then our pickets were placed out two miles farther, and now I think they are within ten miles of Corinth. I heard that the rebels have been reinforced with fifty thousand. We have also been reinforced with eighty thousand. General Popes division landed in this camp with forty thousand, and it is supposed by the most of us that the rest have gone to reinforce Mitchel. There must be three hundred thousand here. This reinforcement came from Island No. 10. I told you that I thought there were fifty batteries here. I have since learned that there are over one hundred. in this camp, and Mitchel has three with him. I suppose you would like to know something about when we are going to move, but I am just as ignorant as you about when there is going to be a general movement. We are moving every day and the way it is our camp is about six miles long. Every thing is in perfect order. Each brigade is stretched out about two miles long, each line in its respective place and in complete line of battle. The rebels took one of our boats loaded with provisions somewhere above here one night this week. It had run on a sand bar and stuck. Our men heard of it and sent up a gun boat and took it away from them. They had not gotten half of the stores off the boat when they hoisted a very large and beautiful flag on it. They left it in such a hurry that they left it hoisted. I saw our men bring the boat down.

5 92 2. Doesn t old Mitchel scare the rebels? He has the advance over all of the Generals of this division. It makes the rest of them mad and they call him the old Mapmaker. Well, Father, you know we used to say the rebels were cowards and would not stand fighting as well as our men. I can tell you they fought bravely here, and if our men had been driven and whipped as often as they I do not think they would have fought long either. I am sure they had good pluck, if they ever fight again as they did here. Do you not think they are pretty long winded? I am beginning to think so. I must tell you a little bad news along with the good. Yesterday Lieut. Mason and Beckley sent in their resignations. They may not be accepted, but you know men are not worth much to a company when they want to get out of it. We were in hopes that Captain Cotter would be reinstated again but all hopes have vanished, and I must say that Cotter s battery is not one of the No. 1 batters now as it was once. All interest has vanished. We are reinforced today with eighteen more infantry boys. I see some of the 19 th. boys almost every day. I saw Byron Dwerthick the other day. I am very glad to hear that you have fair prospects for a crop of wheat, and from what I have seen in the papers wool is going to bring a very fair price. You have read of some of the sight on the battle fields. I must tell you of some that present themselves on this field which is much larger than the battle field at Bull Run. On Sunday the rebels would charge on our men and hollow Bull Run. They thought that they might get our men panic struck. There are some of our soldiers that are hard cases that are often found. Some of them took a deck of cards and placed them in the hands of rebels that had been wounded and had crawled up to a tree, and there sat as dead as ever a rebel was. Our doctor said he saw another that some had put the stub of a cigar in his mouth. The rebels had possession of this field Sunday night and they nearly stripped our dead of their clothing. The regiment that attacked our men on Sunday were uniformed like our men and had the Union flag at the head of their column. I hear a great deal of cheering in the camp and two guns have been fired. I suppose there is some good news. I hear nothing particularly from the army at the Potomac only that they are near Richmond and Yorktown. We were expecting to hear of a fight. It has rained 11 day and it is cool now. From your son,

6 93 I N C A M P E I G H T M I L E S S O U T H O F P I T T S B U R G L A N D I N G 1 2 M I L E S F R O M C O R I N T H. May Respected Father:- I have received only one letter since crossing the Tennessee river. The report is that our letters go no farther than Savannah. We get but very little mail now. I heard that O. U. Sutter was going to Ohio tomorrow and would take mail for the Ohio boys. I thought you would be very anxious to hear form me by this time. It is four weeks since the fight and we have only got ready for them at Corinth. I think if it had not rained all day today that our men would have made a general attack today. Popes forces are on the east and are within four miles of Corinth with a heavy force and had a brisk little engagement Saturday afternoon, killing over thirty rebels. Our loss was two. We took five hundred prisoners. We are expecting a heavy battle here and if we lose it the ground will all have to be fought over again. If the rebels lose they are gone up the Mississippi Valley. I think our men are trying to surround them and make a clean sweep. We have some large thirty two pound rifle pieces here and we are hauling our quite a number of sixty four pound mortars. There are over seven thousand pieces of artillery here. The rebels are said to be fortified in trench middling well. We all expect a very hard and final close of the fighting here if we can only keep them. We expect the fight to commence early tomorrow, but it may not for several days. We are already for them. Have three days rations in our haversacks all of the time and five on the wagons. We have our Captain back again. One of the boys read in the paper that Captain was restored to his command would be to his batter on the fourth of this month. It was after taps it was received by the boys but we got out and gave three cheers for him. Gen. Johnson came down and told us he would put us all in the guard house if he heard any more noise. One of the boys stepped up to him and told him if he knew what we were cheering about he would give three cheers. I never saw such an expression of joy as when Capt. rode up. Cotter s battery is all right now. We are all well at present. I will be glad to hear from home at any time. You son,

7 94 I N C A M P F I V E M I L E S N O R T H E A S T O F C O R I N T H May 12 th, Respected Sister:- I received a letter from Celestine yesterday and one from Sally Ann. I wrote a letter to Father some time ago and I said to my self that I was not going to write home again until after the fight comes off at Corinth. I thought at that time that a few days would decide it, but a week has passed and still the rebels are there. You may think our army is slow and so they are but sure. There is a great deal to do to have a complete victory here. I will give you a short discription of this country between here and the Tennessee river. There is not more than one twentieth of the land cleared. The contour of the land is rather an advantage in some points and a disadvantage in other. It is in ridges of from one quarter to three quarters of a mile wide with a level strip between with very heavy timber on and thick under brush. The bottoms between the rivers are about the same width as the ridges, the soil being a quick sand and are of course impassible in wet weather, and I guess in dry to. These ridges run east and west, so that we have them all to cross and the bottoms have to be bridges. We make them by chopping the trees down and laying them across. I cannot say as to whether there were any roads through but an army the size of this one can tramp out and disfigure the ground so that one cannot see what it looked like. Every rail is gone and nearly every house empty. Each division makes their respective roads so there are a dozen or more of them and not the men are at work bridging the last swamp. It is in kind of a semi-circle and lies on the north west and east of Corinth. There are four railroads that center at that place and from what I can learn our men have possession of two of them. Popes division are on our left and are farthest south. The rebels bother our men some while at work on the road and they seem to be quite uneasy. They think the yankees are doing something on the other side of the swamp. They have an idea that our men are planting siege guns on this ridge. And to prevent it they have been throwing shells over toward us nearly every day for over ten days. Our men have not fired a gun as yet. Some think most of the fighting will be done with siege guns. I learned that Corinth is not a naturally fortified place and all that hinders our army is the way they have to approach the place. Our men are getting quite a number of

8 95 2. sixty-four pounders here; regular old siege guns. I do not think there is any danger of this camp being surprised as it was before. There is a heavy picket out and a reinforcement of one brigade in the rear and a battery of artillery. Our brigade was on reserve picket last Sunday night. The boys have been saying that the attack would be made next Monday, for the last month. There has nearly another one passed and no attack. It is my opinion there are other forces to act in concert with this army. I think they are trying to make a clean seep of the rebels when they take Corinth. I would not be surprised if there would not be a fight for twenty days if they do not attack us. We hear today that our men have taken Memphis and if so they have lost another railroad. Now they cannot retreat any way, but on the Jackson railroad, and I would not wonder if they would be interrupted if they undertook to go that road. We also heard that the Merrimac is sunk and that McClelland had taken Richmond. Some of the boys thought they could hear heavy cannonading west of here. It must have been thirty miles away. I see Yarian s boys every once in a while, also the boys of the 19 th. It is very warm here, about like July weather in Ohio. We are in Mississippi now and I have seen figs growing on trees. They say they are plenty in some parts of the state. Well, I will give you the market prices of things we can buy of the settlers. Sugar, twenty cents; dried apples, twenty five cents; ham, twenty five cents; lemons and oranges, fifteen cents a piece; cheese, thirty cents per pound; butter, fifty cents per pound; eggs, forty cents per dozen. I heard good news this evening from the old Mapmaker s division. He has been from fifty to seventy miles to our left all the time. I send you one-fourth of the head of some Mississippi cotton. It grew last season. The stocks are about five feet high on average. We have kept three days cooked rations of hand for over two weeks. No more at present. From your brother,

9 96 I N C A M P N O R T H E A S T O F C O R I N T H A B O U T 3 M I L E S May 18 th, Dear Sister:- I received your letter this morning that was dated May 8 th. You say that the fruit trees were in bloom at that time. Here the peaches are nearly one-half grown and every thing else in proportion. Everything has been quiet in our division for the past week. Well, not exactly either. Yesterday we were hitched up and ready to go out if needed. We still keep three days rations in our have sacks. General Popes division was moving up within two miles of Corinth, a little further around on the left and it was supposed that the rebels would make an attempt to drive them back, and this morning we had to scramble out at four o clock and prepare our teams for service, but nothing has happen on this side of Corinth. Yesterday as usual there was some cannonading. It was to our right some six or eight miles. The report in camp is that the rebels were trying to get out and that our men had good success and drove them back. The report is that they had a pretty hard fight. It is reported in camp that they had released two hundred prisoners for the reason that they had nothing for them to eat. Every day there are deserters coming into our army. One day last week two hundred came into Popes division. They say they are thousands of them trying to get away and they also report that they are killing their hoses and mules to eat. General McCook has a spy that has been down to Corinth and got back last Friday. He says they are very well fortified and that they have quite a number of regiments of Indians with them. He also says they had to keep six regiments under guard all the time. We get our mail pretty regular now. Our papers are only five days old, and by this means the private can get some information about what is going on out of his camp. I am very much pleased to see one thing changed, that is concerning the army of the Potomac. You do not see under the heading of every other column now All is quiet on the Potomac. It seems they are a good disciplined army now and able to drive the rebels from their strong holds. We have heard of the victory at Yorktown and Norfolk; also that the Merrimac is blown up, and now the little Monitor is the King of the Flotilla of this Continent. It will be impossible for the rebels at Corinth to get across the Mississippi river, and the farther south

10 97 2. they get the worse off they are, for without doubt they have eaten nearly every thing in the shape of eatibles that they can get from that direction. We can hear the cars running at Corinth. It seems to me our men do not care if they do get provisions from the interior of the state. From what I can learn we do not intend to attack here but force them to come out and attack us or surrender. We have siege guns planted now that can throw shell any where inside of their fortification. We have been in the habit of saying we were going to be home by the fourth of July but now we say we are not going until next September, about the time that the Ohio State Fair is to come off at Cleveland. It is about two o clock now and as usual they have picked up a muss on our right. About the same direction as yesterday but nearer here. It is so far we cannot hear the musketry, if there be any. This is just the time of the year that I should like to be going home. But I am not going until the stars and stripes float over every Capitol and court house unmolested. They have to recognize and respect it. The Minister from France told them so in their own so-called Capitol at Richmond. That they were whipped and unable to hold their position. Some think we we going to attack them tomorrow, but I think it doubtful. Let it come when it may we are going to gain the day, though thousands may fall. The boys are all well as far as I know. No more at present. I hope that I can have the pleasure of writing our next in Corinth. From your brother,

11 98 I N C A M P T H R E E M I L E S N O R T H E A S T O F C O R I N T H May, 24 th, Respected Father:- I thought a few lines this morning might not be amiss as I know the whole north is patiently waiting for this struggle to come off at Corinth. It certainly will be the last big fight. It has been six days since I wrote last and every day but yesterday have been days of some excitement around Corinth. Our men are building breast works in the shape of a horse shoe. The out side one is twelve miles long. This was out of the range of the rebels guns and after this was finished our forces moved up close to them and have been busy since building more inside of the first. And from what I can learn they have three nearly finished in the positions where xx our men are exposed too much to the fire of the rebels. They build them after night. Some of them that are finished are in sight of the enemy s works and if they keep our men from building these fortifications they will have to come out from behind theirs. Our men occasionly play yankee tricks on them. One day this week there was a company bridging a swamp. The rebels came up with several hundred. Our pickets ran in and told our men, and when our men came on to them they ran and left their arms all stacked behind. The rebels thought it a nice prize. While they were gathering up their plunder our reserve picket flanked them on both sides and took them all prisoners. On last Wednesday morning there was the sharpest artillery firing I ever heard. It only last five minutes. It was a battery of eight thirty-two pound siege guns. They had been planted in a thicket the night before. The rebels were out on a reconnoitering expedition that morning when our men opened on them with terrific fire killing fifty. Some of the wounded were carried off. They did not fire a shot but fled in confusion. The only loss on our side was by accident. One of the guns bursted and killed four cannoneers. There has been almost steady firing on the picket lines for the past ten days. Our lines are so close that it cuts off their principal watering place. It seems to annoy them very much to see our men building breast works under their noses. It is my opinion that it will be a short siege. when it come off. I think we are going to try a York game on them. Our brigade is clear on the rear of every thing. Johnson s brigade is held as reserve of McCook s divison. I learned today that we are to lead one of the

12 99 2. brigades that have been in front. We can hear the cars every day very plain at Corinth. There is a report in camp that Gen. McClelland is in Richmond. Every thing seems very dull in camp. Cannot get papers less than five days old and not very much news when they do come. I think it is a very healthy place here. Any how the soldiers have good health. It has been cool for the last week and showery. Our officers say they do not think our forces will be ready for attack for two weeks, and it is very probable they will not then, but make them open the ball. We canculate to close it so it will be no more than fair for them to open it. I cannot think of any thing more of any importance now, but I may have something soon. N.B. Our mess had green apples for dinner.

13 100 I N C A M P B E F O R E C O R I N T H May, 31st, Respected Parents:- When I wrote you before I said that I was in hopes that the next time I wrote it would be from Corinth. Well, I do not write form Corinth exactly, but I have been there. On last Wednesday our brigade was ordered to have three days rations cooked and be ready to march at one o clock. We went up in front of Corinth and lay behind some breast works that had been thrown up the day before. On Thursday our brigade was ordered to drive the rebel pickets off a ridge that lay one quarter of a mile infront of these breast works. There was a very good new house that was about three hundred yards from the breast works that the rebels got into and were firing at our men. General Buel ordered the battery to shell it, so they did and burned it to the ground. Then to the west of this house some five hundred yards, were two more houses that were burned for the same reason. They did not resist a great while but fell back on another ridge that lay about half a mile further back. The hollow between was about two hundred yards wide and covered with timber. The underbrush was so thick that we could not see more than ten yards before us. On the 28 th. of May was the day that Cotter s battery reaped the laurels, if every a battery did. Early that morning we were ordered on to the ridge where the houses had been burned and about noon were ordered to take possession of the opposite ridge if possible. Our battery began to shell the woods and the ridge on the other side. Our brigade was laying down just in the rear of this ridge. The 32 nd. Indiana and the 49 th. Ohio supported our battery. One company was thrown out as skirmishes to find their position. They advanced nearly across a narrow cleared field that lay before us and the rebels poured in a volley on them. They fell back and was commenced shelling the swamp. We first run up two guns one rifle and one smooth bore. There were three regiments of the rebels and they made three charges on our battery, and I thought they were going to get it. Our infantry all fell back and lay down waiting for them to come, but when the rebels came to the open field the shot came so thick that they would have to fall back. We put in double does of canister and the smooth bore. We fired three hundred and fifty rounds, and lay at our posts all night, but nothing of any importance happened.

14 When Captain got down shelling the woods, he turned one of the guns on Corinth, and sent in five death messengers. Thursday we did not fire a shot. In the evening we were ordered to advance to the next ridge, and so we did, but we did not stop until we were in Corinth. Nelson and Pope s men found it out a few minutes sooner than we did. They were in town when they blew up their buildings. They blew up their depot, the largest team works where they manufactured, shot shell and balls. There were hundreds of barrels of sugar, molasses, flour, beef, pork rice, corn, etc, etc. burned and strewed around. They managed some way to destroy every thing that they left behind. We have learned what our battery did on the 28 th. The prisoners say they know our battery killed forty, and of the five shell that were thrown into the town, three done good execution. One burned a church, another struck near the depot and cut off an engineers leg, the third struck a camp and killed five men. The day we did the firing there was a most terrific cannonading going on that I ever heard. It was far ahead of the battle of Shilo. Sunday, June 1 st. We hear that Mitchel has succeeded in taking a portion of the rebels. I guess the fighting is done in the western states, or rather the Mississippi valley. I suppose you would like to know where we are going to now. I think it will be one of three places. Texas, Kentucky, or Western Virginia. I think if we got off to Texas, we are elected for three years. Our boys all got out of the fight safe. Several of them got holes shot through their clothing. It seems like a miracle that no one was killed. Wheat is ready to harvest here. I saw E. Yarian a few days ago. He said that Benjamin had been sun struck the day before. It is very warm in the day time and cool at nights. No more at present. From your son,

15 102 I N C A M P T H R E E M I L E S N O R T H O F C O R I N T H June, 3rd, Respected Sister:- Celestine I received your letter of the 20 th last month, yesterday. I had not intended answering your letter for a few days, until this evening after I came into my tent. Last evening at roll call, our battery was ordered to cook two days rations and to be ready to start out on picket at five this morning. There are also two or three brigades besides ours. We were to go several miles on the other side of Corinth. As a general rule the casions do not go out on picket, and this is the reason why I am in camp. I am the only one that stays in our tent, that is at camp. This has been the longest day to me for some time. It seems as though no one was at home, yet there are thirty of us in camp. I would not have believed it if any one had told me how lonesome it would be. This is the reason I have gone to writing this letter. I finished one to Father last Sunday morning. Cannot tell you much news about the army. I only know that we are in possession of Corinth, that they evacuated and destroyed a great amount of property. From all accounts they are far from being a good organized army. Celestine, there are thousands of things that I should be glad to tell you about concerning the horrors of the civil war. I can only wish that you could see them. There are a variety of scenes. Some that would make one laugh, while there are others that would make the most vile wretch that every drew breath shed tears. I must tell you how things look in this part of this City. It is over twenty miles from Corinth to the Tennessee river, and in this whole distance there are not a dozen families, and how they live I cannot tell, for all the farms have been over run, the rails are all burned for wood. The farmers have sown and planted before our army came along, expecting that old Jeff would drive back the Yankees. Now their crops are all destroyed. Their wheat would have been harvested by this time, but our mules and horses have saved them that little job. I do not see how they are to live for they all seem to be worse off than the poor people of the north. You would have laughed if you could have seen the soldiers coming back to camp after they had been to Corinth. There was not a man but what had some kind of a relic with him.

16 Nearly every one was decorated with some kind of a rebels garment. There was but one white man in Corinth when our men took possession. He was an old man between sixty-five and seventy. There were also two women, and three slaves. Corinth is a place about twice the size of Marlboro, and is scattered over about four times as much ground. There are a great many forest trees standing yet, and the houses are not placed in regular order but every man seems to have built where he pleased. The surrounding country is as level as it is around our house and if it had not been for the swampy bottoms between the ridges, and the heavy timber it would have been a very poor place to make a stand. These swamps and bottoms of heavy timber were only an obstacle to be over come in time by our army. Wednesday morning, June, 4 th. Every thing is quiet in camp and around it. You wanted me to let you know how Henry Robinstein was. I cannot tell you. The last time I saw any of the 19 th. boys was the next day after I wrote you about his being hurt, and then he was some better. Ike said he would send him home as soon as he got able. From what you say I should think parties would play out in Harscrabble. It almost makes me wish that I could be at home when I hear of so many parties. I cannot say where McCook s division is going to yet, but the rumor is that it is going to Virginia. Some say to eastern and other say to western. Some say we will go to Washington City. If we should go there on the cars I would not wonder if we would go through Alliance. If by water, we will go up the Ohio. I do not know as the war will end very soon with out they take the western army into Virginia. We have done almost all of the fighting and are able to do more if it is necessary. We hear some good news from McClelland once in a while. The 3 rd. Ohio Cavalry are moving out 19 miles today in a south-easterly direction. I must close for the present. From your affectionate brother,

17 104 June, 12 th, Respected Brother:- I received your welcome letter of the 25 th. and was glad to hear from you once more. We got orders day before yesterday at twelve to be ready to march at three and so we were but did not start until five. We marched until twelve at night; started yesterday morning at seven, marched until late in the afternoon, and halted to where we are now. It is a small town by the name of I.U.K.A. It is about the size of Marlboro. It is a watering place. It is a very pleasant place and within four miles of the Alabama line. It is also on the M & C R.R. It is twenty-five miles south-east of Corinth. It was dreadful dusty marching. The greater portion of the country we passed over has been very poor. The timber is pine. There is, I think, McCook s whole division moving in this direction. There is one division ahead of ours. I think it is Gen. Wood s. We are not told where we are going, but I think we will not stop until we get to Huntsville, and probably we are to go to Cumberland Gap. You say you heard the news on the 24 th. that Corinth was taken with 15,000 prisoners. It is a mistake. It was on the morning of the 30 th. and our men got nothing of any account. The boys are feasting on wild plums, black berries and huckle berries. I do not think I every saw peach and apple trees any heavier loaded than they are here. They have harvested their wheat some ten or fifteen days ago. Some have plowed their wheat stubble and are planting corn. They have been planting corn for over two months. I do not see any grass or oats to cut. Benjamin Yarian is getting better. I think the fighting is now played out in this division. We are waiting for the provision trains to come up. The health of the boys is very good. I cannot say that I ever enjoyed better health. From your affectionate brother,

18 105 I N C A M P AT J A C K S O N L A N D I N G O N E M I L E B E L O W A N D O P P O S I T E O F F L O R E N C E, A L A B A M A. June, 18th, 1862 Respected Sisters:- I wrote to Thomas about one week ago and told you we were on a march but knew not where we were going. I take this opportunity of writing again as I know you will be anxious to learn where we are. We arrived here last Sunday afternoon. We were sixty miles from Corinth. Most of the marching we did after night and early in the morning. I think the past ten days have been as warm as any I ever experienced in Ohio. The evenings are cool with heavy dew. The people tell up here that It has been the driest season they have ever seen. It has already parched hundreds of acres of beans, corn and potatoes, so that will never be worth harvesting. Since coming into this state we have passed through some of the finest country I ever saw. Here one can see enough of slavery. I have seen as high as eighteen or twenty slaves at work in one field of corn. Some were women and they have to do the work of a man. Their plantations are large. One negro said his Massa had six thousand acres and one hundred slaves. They have planted very little cotton. They say old Jeff forced them to plant corn and beans to feed the soldiers with. I think they will have some trouble to get their grain transported. They sowed thousands of acres of wheat and oats. They will not get their seed back. The oats is a complete failure, as it was struck with rust over a month ago, and it has not rained since. Fruit is plenty. Peach trees, I never saw fuller in my life. Apples are getting ripe and the trees are full. We can once in a while can garden truck when we are on a march. They have onions in camp which they sell for five cents a piece, and small ones at that. I saw Levi Mc and Gen Davis yesterday. Their regiment lays near our battery about one-half a mile off. From what they say I think the boys are about played out in that regiment. Tell Robinstines that Henry is all right and is driving his team again. Girls I used to write about getting home on the 4th. of July, but to be sure of the time we now put it at the end of three years.

19 We have not gotten any mail since I received the one from Thomas. Write as often as you can, as I only wrote one sheet to Thomas before, I guess I had better put one in for him this time Thomas, I did not know but that you would think me last letter was rather short, for that reason I put this in. Since we came here the infantry have repaired the road to the Landing which is down a steep ravine. This side of the river has very steep banks for the most of the way for a mile or so, it is perpendicular lime stone rock. The Landing is named after General Jackson, who first cut the road and landed an army here at the time he was after the Indians. I do not know where we are going. There is a steamer with two barges lashed to her ferrying the division over today and the report is that we are to cross tomorrow. Some think we are going to Virginia but I guess we will spend the 4th. in eastern Tennessee. I think they are rather slow in Virginia, but it is a hard country to fight in. Thomas, you seem to think this army should have done some thing at Corinth. So we did. We build fifty miles of breast works and fortifications for cannon, some of them ten feet thick. I heard today that Mitchel had a fight up near Huntsville and cleaned them out. It seems as if the western army have gotten the rebels all scattered, in the Mississippi valley. Col. Burnett had to reserve a brigade of artillery here. There are fourteen batteries, two of which are Seige batteries. The report is that we are going on a five hundred mile march. And things go to show it. We have had to give up all of our tents but three, turn over our over coats and are only allowed two shirts, one pair of pants, one cap and one pair of shoes, two pair of socks, one jacket and one blanket. One of our boys has just come up from the landing and says that Ruseau s brigade are crossing. I think we will go in the morning. There are plenty of rattle snakes, copper heads, blue racers and scorpions here. Several of the soldiers have been bitten. You do not say how many acres of corn you have put out. I expect you and George are having big times this summer. You must make Charley stand around as I hear he is cutting a wide swell and would like people to think he is running the whole shebang. No more at present. Will write as soon as we stop again. From your brother,

20 107 Respected Father:- I thought a few lines to you concerning the threshing machine would be no more than you would be looking for as it will not be many weeks after you received this until the season will commence for threshing. I know that I shall not be there to run it this year and may be not next. You have sold two of your horses so I guess the best way will be for you to sell my share if you can get what it is worth, but do not take less than what I gave. If the crops are good I think you ought to get one hundred dollars for it. for the machine is in better order than when I got it. Do not let Thomas go with it if you keep it. I do not but that he could stand it, but I should rather you would sell it than do so. Whatever you do do not run it without you can do better than I did last season. I have $55.00 now and have had it for the last two months waiting for a chance to send it home. I think I will not send more than $40.00 for I may need some before we are paid again. There is a report come into camp that Fremont has made the rebels skedaddle and that McClelland was in Richmond xxxx and was fortifying the City. I hope that it is true. We hear a great many false reports. This is an awful hard time for an army to make long marches. We can trace the direction of the road for eight or ten miles from the dust that arises. I do believe that the north could better afford to support this army three years in these states than have it carried on one year in the north, if that would end it. Father it would be worth the best horse or several you have had to see the effects of any army and see it march. With an occasional battle to vary the scenes. No more at present but write and let me know what you do with the old machine. From your son,

21 108 I N C A M P 7 M I L E S S O U T H O F H U N T S V I L L E, A L A. 18 MILES E A S T O F A T H E N S. June, Respected Father:- I received your letter and one from the girls on last Monday. I should have written sooner but we got marching orders about an hour after I received it. We have marched every day since and had orders last night to start at four this morning but from some cause or other Gen. Buel has ordered us to halt here for further orders. I think we are on our way to Chattanooga. We hear that there is considerable of a rebel force there and that Mitchel has been fighting them some. You say that the prospects for crops are good. I should like to be there to help harvest it. I hear that Milo Marshall died at the Yorktown hospital sometime ago. Has Garrison Logue got back. I hear that he has. We hear that Col. Gibson is dead. He was very sick in the hospital at Nashville. The whole brigade are in hopes that it is a false report. I hear that several of the boys in our neighborhood enlisted for three months to go to Camp Chase to guard prisoners. Our men have possession of the railroad at Athens. It is only twenty-two hours ride from Athens to Louisville, Ky. The latest news from McClelland s army is that they are preparing to advance and if the rebels make a stand there will be a big fight at Richmond. The report is that the rebels have evacuated Cumberland Gap. Father I guess I will have to write part of this to the girls. So no more for this time Respected Sisters: I was very much pleased to receive such a family letter as the one was on the 1st. you talked some of sending me some stamps and papers, which would have come very good now as I am writing on my last sheet and have the last stamp stuck on. I want you to send me some stamps, for I can t get them here without hard money, and that is very scarce. I do not want you to send any paper for I can get it. If you ever get a chance to send by any one coming to the battery do not send anything but what he can carry in his pockets. Tell Cena I should like very much to have that sugar cake, but she had better keep it until I come home. Our living is enough to make one sigh at every meal. I have seen some of you cry at the table because there were things before you that did not exactly.

22 suit you, and I expect I am guilty of the same. All that we get is crackers, meat and coffee. No one knows what hard living is until he has been a soldier in service on the field. I am glad to hear that you have an interesting Sunday school this summer. If we should happen to be sent off into barracks there might be such a thing as some of us would get a chance to go home for a while. I think our letter will go home sooner now as we are within seventeen miles of the railroad. I could go to Limaville in forty eight hours and I cannot see why our mail do not come through as soon. Do not send more than a quarters worth of stamps in your letter, and address as before. Your affectionate brother,

23 110 I N C A M P 7 M I L E S W E S T O F H U N T S V I L L E, A L A. July, 4th, Respected Brother:- I suppose as you open this letter and cast your eyes to its date you will soon satisfy your minds as to where I spent the fourth. I suppose the words I wonder where is spending the fourth today has been spoken by thousands of friends at home. It does not hardly seem to me that it is the fourth. The brigade and the batteries have been trying to make the day pass off as patriotic as possible. We have cleared up a nice park and raised the pole about forty feet high. We put our flag on it and the secess flag below. We were all drawn up in line and gave three cheers for the stars and stripes and three groans for the rebel flag. All of the regiments have their flags on high poles. There has not been a gun fired in my hearing today. I mean muskets. A national salute was fired at Huntsville. There does not seem to be a great many rebels around here. They say there is a gang in the Rock Mountain about four miles from camp. Some of our boys have been shot while out in that direction picking blackberries. I think two of them were out of the 32nd. Ind. There is some talk of McCook s division going down into Georgia to a town called Atlanta. If you look on the map you can see the importance of our getting possession of it. I guess we will not get anything at Chattanooga. There are to be some of McCook s men left back to guard some of the railroads. Some say our battery is to be divided, three guns to go to Huntsville to guard and some somewhere else. It is very dry here. The farmers say if it does not rain soon their crops will be very light. The last twenty days has been rather cool. It seems to me that I have never seen in colder in Ohio for the same number of days. It takes all of the blankets we can muster to keep us warm at nights. I tell you they are fooled about the way the Yankees can stand the heat. I bet we can out wind any of them. I heard a citizen remark one day how rugged the Yankees looked and one fellow said what broad necks those fellows have. I know they are stout men. The regiment they made this last remark about was the 32nd. Indiana. All Germans. We have passed thousands of acres of land that was worn out, the rails all gone and the

24 whole thing in commons. Some of the planters have lots of negroes. They are generally very ragged, not more than half of their bodies covered. I tell you the Yankees are putting a flea in their ear. One of them asked me one day what we were going to do with them. I told them nothing. He then wanted to know how much longer they would have to stay. I told him I expected as long as he lived, if he did not run off himself. I expect Mr. Nigger has gone by this time. As we were on the last march a little yellow fellow was pounding corn by the side of the road, and I guess he thought our boys were a jovial crowd. Any how he came along with us. He is waiting on the officers. His master came here after him once but he happened to see his master first and crawled in one of the baggage wagons. The boys are in the best of cheer this morning on account of the report about Richmond. I do not put much reliance in it. Thomas, if Father does not sell my share in that machine I do not want you to go with it if you can possibly help it for I consider it more dangerous work than soldiering, and look out for that mower. I expect you will be most done harvesting before you get this letter. I wish I was there to help you. Well Thomas, I am going to spend fourth of July night on guard. I am in hopes that it may be the last one for this service. You need not think from what I have said that I am homesick for I am not. No more for this evening. Direct your next to Gen. Buel s army, McCook s division, Gen. Johhsons brigade. Write as often as convenient. From your brother,

25 112 I N C A M P 2 M I L E S F R O M STEVENSON, 45 MILES FROM CHATTANOOGA. July, 12th, Respected Father:- I received your welcome letter of the 16th. You seem to have cheering prospects for crops from all accounts. I do not think there is any prospect of us going to Virginia now. Three divisions have left Corinth to reinforce McClelland. From what I can learn our men have had their hands full at Richmond. Our latest news is that they fought eight days with heavy losses on both sides. We used to talk about the western army having all of the fighting to do, but I guess there has been more fighting in Virginia, now, there in all of the rest of the states. I think it will not be many days until our men have possession of Richmond. Will that be the end of the fighting or not? I fear not. I think there is most too much politics mixed in with this ear. I am beginning to think more and more every day that the way is going to last three years if it is not settled before sixty days. It is my belief that some foreign power will interfere and either make it longer or shorter. I do not like to say anything against our generals but there are some who pay more respect to the rebels than to their own men in the field. I guess they think they have got us and they can make brutes, slaves or any thing they pleasure of us. You can get a few descriptions of the treatment of the officers to the privates out of the papers. This is not the three month service by a long shot. I never have said that I was sorry that I enlisted but I am getting some afraid that the time is coming. I suppose you would like to know something about the prospects of a fight here. There is no force nearer than Chattanooga. The rebel pickets are on this side of the river. We are in Alabama yet and are within two miles of the Tennessee river. I cannot say how soon we will move onto Chattanooga, but not until the railroad is nearly finished there. for that is the only way for us to get our supplies. The rail road all the way from Huntsville is strongly guarded, as there as a great many guerillas around here. They have shot several of our men on this march. They get caught once in a while and the medicine that Mitchel applies is the kind they should have every time. That is a hemp rope. He hanged eleven at one time. If every man deserved to be burned at the stake it is the guerilla. They are worse than any high way murderer. One of the boys of our battery is missing and we fear he has been shot.